1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a forklift truck having a drive section and a vertically adjustable load section. The load section is connected to the drive section by a parallelogram hinge. The load section has a front wall perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle located next to the rear wall of the drive section. The upper portion of the rear wall of the drive section has an edge parallel to and spaced from the front wall of the load section.
Forklift trucks of the type described herein are low lift trucks which are used, for example, as electric hand-guided trucks. The battery is installed in a compartment in the drive section, and the front wall of the load section defines the cargo space adjacent to the drive section.
2. Description of the Related Prior Art
On prior art forklift trucks of the type to which the invention is directed, the front wall of the load section is one element of a battery compartment. On such trucks, the battery is transported along with the load section and is moved vertically with the load section. The drive section has a housing in which the drive unit and the lifting mechanism are located. The housing on the drive section generally has a top cover with an edge located at the juncture of the top cover and the rear wall of the housing adjacent to the front wall of the load section.
There is generally a narrow gap between the edge of the top cover and the front wall of the load section. When the load section is raised, the width of this gap initially increases. Because of the parallelogram hinge, the front wall of the load section moves through an arc, and therefore moves farther away from the rear wall of the drive section as the load section is raised. According to the design of the parallelogram hinge, the width of the gap decreases as the end of the lifting motion of the load section is approached. If the lift truck operator inadvertently places his fingers into the gap during the vertical movement of the load section, his fingers can be caught and crushed or severed.